Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Cu Matrix Composites Reinforced byTiB2/TiN Ceramic Reinforcements

Cu matrix composites reinforced by TiB₂/TiN ceramic reinforcements (Cu/TBN composites) were prepared by hot pressing method. Prior to the hot pressing, Cu/TiB₂/TiN composite powders (CTBN powders), which were used as the starting materials of Cu/TBN composites, were fabricated by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis method. The CTBN particles were found to be in a special core-shell structure with a Cu-Ti alloy core and a TiB₂/TiN ceramic shell. The test results presented obvious improvements in mechanical properties. The highest ultimate tensile strength reached up to 297 MPa, 77 MPa higher than that of Cu. And the highest hardness reached up to 70.7 HRF, 15.7 HRF higher than that of Cu. A comparative study indicated that the core-shell structured particles could bring about more obvious strengthening effect than the traditional irregularly shaped particles, which was due to the improved Cu/ceramics interfacial bonding, the linkage strengthening effect of both TiB₂ and TiN, and higher load bearing ability of the core-shell structured reinforcements.     

A novel flow field with controllable pressure gradient to enhance mass transport and water removal of PEM fuel cells

An easily machined novel flow field with controllable pressure gradient across adjacent channels was designed and a two dimensional, across-the-channel, two-phase model was developed to study the gas transport and water removal of the novel configuration. The effect of channel-rib width ratio, GDL thickness and pressure gradient on the profiles of oxygen concentration and water saturation within the GDL were investigated. Special attention was paid to the mechanisms of the promoted mass transport and water removal rates under a pressure gradient. The model was validated by experiments with various channel-rib ratios and GDL thicknesses at different operating pressure. The results revealed that, oxygen concentration was increased, and the water saturation was reduced under the rib with a pressure gradient generated across the adjacent channels. The optimal pressure gradient is between 0.1 to 0.2 atm for the studied channel geometry and configuration. The mechanisms of the improved cell performance were elucidated.     

Study on wax precipitation characteristics of wax deposit in pipes

Wax deposit properties are a significant concern in pipeline pigging during waxy crude oil transportation. In the present work, the impacts of flow conditions and oil properties on the wax precipitation characteristics of wax deposits are investigated. A flow loop apparatus was developed to conduct wax deposition experiments using four crude oils collected from different field pipes. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique was employed to observe the wax precipitation characteristics of crude oil and wax deposit. The results show that the wax content and the wax appearance temperature (WAT) of the deposits increase with shear stress and radial temperature gradient, and decrease with radial wax molecule concentration gradient near the pipe wall. The DSC tests on the wax deposits revealed that the deposit wax content is strongly correlated to the oil wax content. Furthermore, an empirical correlation was developed to predict the wax content and the WAT of the wax deposit. Verification of the empirical correlation using the different oils indicated that the average relative error of the wax content prediction and average absolute error of WAT prediction were 13.2% and 3.6°C, respectively.     

铜山口铜矿水力旋流器数值优化试验研究

为提高大冶有色铜山口铜矿选矿厂FX500水力旋流器的分级精度、降低底流夹细量，通过数值模拟方法系统考察了旋流器结构参数和操作参数对旋流器分离性能的影响，结果表明：①适当增加入口流速、降低给矿浓度，可从整体上降低底流夹细量和溢流跑粗量；②适当增大柱段高度和小锥锥角，可进一步降低底流夹细量；③适当增大沉砂口上锥角角度，对底流中的微细粒级有洗涤作用，能进一步降低底流夹细量；④现场对比试验证实，旋流器结构优化后底流-75 μm粒级夹细率下降了1.78个百分点。研究结果为铜山口铜矿水力旋流器的优化与改造提供了技术支撑。     

Catalytic oxidative desulfurization of gasoline using phosphotungstic acid supported on MWW zeolite

Catalysts for the desulfurization of gasoline samples were synthesized via the immobilization of well-dispersed phosphotungstic acid (HPW) on Mobil composition of matter-twenty-two (MWW) zeolite. Characterization results indicated that these catalysts possess a mesoporous structure with the retention of the Keggin structure of immobilized HPW. Relevant reaction parameters influencing sulfur removal were systematically investigated, including HPW loading, catalyst dosage, temperature, initial S-concentration, molar ratio of oxidant to sulfide (O/S), volume ratio of MeCN to model oil (Ext./oil), and sulfide species. The 40 wt-% HPW/MWW catalyst exhibited the highest catalytic activity with 99.6% dibenzothiophene sulfur removal from prepared samples. The 40 wt-% HPW/MWW catalyst was recycled four times and could be easily regenerated. Finally, as an exploratory study, straight-run-gasoline and fluid catalytic cracking gasoline were employed to accurately evaluate the desulfurization performance of 40 wt-% HPW/MWW. Our research provides new insights into the development and application of catalysts for desulfurization of gasoline.     

First Principle and Experimental Study for Site Preferences of Formability Improved Alloying Elements in Mg Crystal

Some alloying elements (Al, Er, Gd, Li, Mn, Sn, Y, Zn) were proved recently by calculations or experiments to improve the formability of Mg alloys, but ignoring their site preference in Mg crystals during the calculated process. A crystallographic model was built via first principle calculations to predict the site preferences of these elements. Regularities between doping elements and site preferences were summarized. Meanwhile, in the basis of the crystallographic model, a series of formulas were deduced combining the diffraction law. It predicted that a crystal plane with abnormal XRD peak intensity of the Mg-based solid solutions, compared to that of the pure Mg, prefers to possess solute atoms. Thus, three single-phase solid solution alloys were then prepared through an original In-situ Solution Treatment, and their XRD patterns were compared. Finally, the experiment further described the site preferences of these solute atoms in Mg crystal, verifying the calculation results.     

Structures and electrical conductivities of Gd3+ and Fe3+ co-doped cerium oxide electrolytes sintered at low temperature for ILT-SOFCs

Gd³⁺ and Fe³⁺ co-doped cerium oxide electrolytes, Ce_0.9Gd_0.1‐xFe_xO_2-δ (x?=?0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.10), were prepared by co-precipitation for ultrafine precursor powders and sintering for densified ceramic pellets. The crystal and microscopic structures were characterized by XRD, FESEM and Raman spectroscopy and their electrical properties were studied by AC impedance spectroscopy and the measurement of single cell's outputs. In comparison with Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.95, the ceramic pellets of Ce_0.9Gd_0.1‐xFe_xO_2-δ with a relative density of 95% can be obtained after sintered at 1000?°C for 5?h, showing a remarkably enhanced sintering performance with a sintering temperature reduction of 500?°C, which might be ascribed to the highly activated migration of constituent species in the cerium oxide lattice doped with Gd³⁺ and Fe³⁺ions. Moreover, the electrical conductivity of Ce_0.9Gd_0.1‐xFe_xO_2-δ can be significantly enhanced depending on the mole fraction x, with Ce_0.9Gd_0.07Fe_0.03O_1.95 exhibiting the highest electrical conductivity of 38 mS/cm at 800?°C, about 36% higher than that of Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.95 electrolyte sintered at 1500?°C for 5?h. So, The Gd³⁺ and Fe³⁺ co-doped cerium oxide would be an excellent candidate electrolyte for ILT SOFCs due to its prominent sintering performance and enhanced electrical conductivity.     

Regulation of pore cell structures of coal-based carbon foams based on the nucleation mechanism of microcellular polymer

It is widely accepted that the performance of carbon foams can be regulated by the tailoring of pore cell structures to meet the requirements of various applications. However, no theory has been used to date for guiding such regulation. In this work, carbon foams were prepared by saturating vitrinite concentrate with nitrogen gas under high pressure. The influence of key factors on the pore cell structure of carbon foams was investigated systematically. The results showed that the mean cell diameter and the bulk density of carbon foams can be regulated, respectively, in the ranges 140–440?µm and 0.29–0.75?g/cm³, which indicates that vitrinite concentrate separated from fat coal is highly suitable for the preparation of carbon foams. The variation trends of the pore cell structures were well explained by combining the homogeneous nucleation mechanism of microcellular polymer with the viscosity of the fusant formed from vitrinite concentrate. The inherent reason for all the variation trends is related to the gas nuclei density and viscosity of the fusant. More importantly, a strategy is suggested to successfully accomplish the design and regulation of the pore structure of carbon foams by taking into account the homogeneous nucleation mechanism and viscosity of the fusant.     

Large increase of Curie temperature in (110)-oriented La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 films

From the perspectives of scientific researches and practical applications, it is desirable to explore high operating temperature ferromagnetic films. The effect of biaxial strain on magnetic properties of (110)-oriented La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ films was studied. High quality La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ films were grown on (110)-oriented perovskite single crystal substrates using pulsed laser deposition, varying substrate-induced misfit strains from ??2.27–0.75%. A remarkable enhancement of Curie temperature has been achieved for (110)-oriented La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ films clamped with small misfit strains (i.e., grown on LAST (110)). The enhanced Curie temperature of (110)-oriented La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ films could be attributed to the misfit strain between the films and the underlying substrates and may have technological implication for applications at high temperature environments.     

The fabrication and mechanical properties of SiC/SiC composites prepared by SLS combined with PIP

Traditionally, SiC components with complex shapes are very difficult or even impossible to fabricate. This paper aims to develop a new manufacturing process, combining selective laser sintering (SLS), cold isostatic pressing (CIP) and polymer infiltration pyrolysis (PIP), to manufacture complex silicon carbide parts and improve the mechanical properties of silicon carbide ceramic parts. The density and porosity of SiC/SiC composites were measured. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the specimens with cold isostatic pressing and the specimens without cold isostatic pressing were compared. The bending strength of the specimens with cold isostatic pressing was 201?MPa, and the elastic modulus was 1.27?GPa. And, the bending strength of the specimens without cold isostatic pressing was 142?MPa, and the elastic modulus was 0.88?GPa. Increasing the density of SiC/SiC can enhance the mechanical properties of SiC/SiC composites.